1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a T-ball training system that helps develop ball hitting focus and timing skills and more specifically to a device wherein the ball shines a light for a time interval during which time interval the ball is to be hit.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Baseball is the great American pastime watched by millions and played by millions more. Every Saturday during the spring baseball fields all across the country are filled with enthusiastic Little League players and the stands filled with cheering parents. Younger children, typically below the age of six years, also want to play baseball. However, such younger players typically lack the hand-eye coordination to be able to play the true game of baseball. For such players, the introductory game of T-ball is the first stop. In the game of T-ball, a ball, which is normally softer and lighter than a regular baseball, is statically placed atop a tee and a batter swings at the ball. When the ball is hit off of the tee, the normal rules of Little League, or some variation thereof, kick in. This allows batters to be able to develop swinging skills without the need to also have timing skills needed for a dynamic ball traveling across home plate.
However, many T-ball coaches want T-ball batters to begin developing focus skills to focus at the ball on the tee, in order to give such players a better transition into Little League. To develop such skills, the coach wants the batter to hit the ball off of the tee during a brief time interval, such as during a given 1.5 second interval. The problem then becomes of communicating to the batter when that time interval is occurring. Some coaches simply yell out the start of the time interval and expect the batter to hit during the interval. While simple, this method is not overly effective as the yell may startle the batter and cause the batter to loose focus or the batter may not truly appreciate the start signal as the yell is competing with the yelling crowd of parents on the sidelines. Additionally, this method gives poor feedback to the batter if he or she hits outside of the time interval. Some coaches turn on a flashlight during the interval and turn it off at the end of the interval so that the batter knows that if the light turns off before the ball is hit, the interval is missed. However, as the coach is some distance away from the tee and the ball thereon, the flashlight becomes a distraction to the player as the player must be watching the coach instead of the ball and the player's swing may suffer as a result.
What is needed is a system that helps a T-ball player develop rudimentary ball hitting skills by focusing on the ball, which system overcomes the above stated shortcoming currently associated with such development efforts. Specifically, such a system must allow the batter to be able to focus his or her attention firmly on the ball so as to not be distracted. Such a system must not startle the player or confuse the player. Ideally, such a system is of relatively simple design and construction so as to be readily affordable to a large portion of potential consumers of the system. Such a system should be easy to use and maintain.